Citing lack of evidence, the Quezon City Prosecutors Office has dismissed the criminal charges filed against Vice President Sara Duterte and several others for alleged acts that disrupted the operations of the House of Representatives Detention Center and Veterans Memorial Medical Center in November 2024.

In a 13-page resolution, city prosecutors rejected the complaints of direct assault, disobedience and grave coercion filed by the Philippine National Police against the vice president.

Also cleared of the charges were Col. Raymund Dante Lachica of the Presidential Security and Protection Group and several others.

Investigating prosecutors said they found no evidence that would have prompted the filing of the cases in court and give government reasonable certainty of conviction.

“The alleged commission of Direct Assault, Disobedience to Authority and Grave Coercion is not supported by evidence,” the prosecutors said.

The incidents cited in the complaint were connected with the detention of Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Duterte’s chief of staff, on orders of the Lower House Committee on Good Government and Accountability.

Duterte and her security team were accused of diverting the transfer of Lopez from the Batasan Pambansa to the Veterans Medical Memorial Center where she was supposed to be taken following an anxiety attack.

Lopez was brought to the St. Luke’s Medical Center allegedly by Duterte and her team.

According to the investigating prosecutors they could not find enough evidence to pursue the charges filed by QC Police District’s Lt. Col. Van Jason Villamor against the vice president.

“Interestingly, not one of the witnesses of P/LtCol. Villamor corroborated his claims regarding the purported attack, employment of physical force, intimidation, resistance, disobedience and violence and threats. They did not narrate the encounter between the parties in their respective affidavits,” the OCP resolution stated.